CAMDEN, N.J.–The Philadelphia 76ers got off to a very good start to this series on the offensive end against the Toronto Raptors. They were able to score at an efficient clip and it helped that Tyrese Maxey was able to get going.
Maxey had 38 points in Game 1 as the Raptors stuck Fred VanVleet and a then-sick Gary Trent Jr. on him. In Game 2, Maxey had 23 points on 8-for-11 shooting with Scottie Barnes out and he then scored 19 points in Game 3.
Barnes made his return to the lineup in Game 4 and Maxey shot only 4-for-12 to score 11 points and then shot 5-for-14 for 12 points in Game 5. The length of Barnes and the Raptors are making life tough for him on the offensive end.
“It gives them a lot of length,” said Danny Green. “Even though he’s not 100%, he’s not able to move as fast as he wants to, he can rebound offensively for them and bring the ball up, and defensively, he causes a lot of chaos with his activity and his hands. He has a lot of length and when they double Jo (Embiid), he’s able to make sure that Jo can’t really see passes and get in lanes and be disruptive.”
The only way to really beat that length for a guy like Maxey is to push the pace. That would make Barnes less of a factor and it would allow Maxey to attack downhill which is something he has not been able to do in the half-court when he tries to attack the basket.
“Again, that’s what we’re talking about playing with better pace and more space and we can get Tyrese downhill,” said coach Doc Rivers. “It’s clear when Tyrese’s fingernails touch the backboard, we’re better basketball team. I asked him at halftime how many times have your fingernails touched the backboard? He said once and that was a steal. So it’s clear we got to get him going downhill.”
The return of Barnes from injury has certainly helped the Raptors immensely on the defensive end, but the Sixers have to find a way to get him out of the play which then allows Maxey and the rest of the offense to flow.
“We got to find ways to take him and everybody else out of the game defensively not allowing them to be in their spots or letting be uncomfortable or trapping,” Green continued. “Making them pay for when they do make mistakes defensively.”
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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